Economics
Low-Cost Health Insurance Limits Access to Top Cancer Doctors
- Oncologists at premier cancer centers cut from some insurance
- Insurers say specialized care available for those who need it
Why Insurers Are Quitting Obamacare
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The nation’s top cancer doctors are more likely to be excluded from low-cost health insurance plans offered on the nation’s individual market, potentially crimping access to the highest-quality care for Americans when they need it most, a new study found.
The individual exchanges, opened in 2014 as part of the Affordable Care Act, often include lower-cost policies that limit the number of physicians available to members as a way to cut costs. Those “narrow networks” are becoming more prevalent in Obamacare, as insurers seek ways to offer cheaper coverage, according to McKinsey & Co. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and examined data from 2014.